Chapter 160 - 158 – “The Drawer of Memories” - Bits of Love, Lines of Code - NovelsTime

Bits of Love, Lines of Code

Chapter 160 - 158 – “The Drawer of Memories”

Author: Asahi_Renjin
updatedAt: 2025-07-12

CHAPTER 160: CHAPTER 158 – “THE DRAWER OF MEMORIES”

Rain tapped gently against the windows of the Kamishiro estate. The world outside was gray and soft, the kind of day that slowed even the wind. Inside, the warmth of the home glowed with faint amber light from old lamps and digital hearths.

Ren was sitting cross-legged on the tatami mat floor of their bedroom, an old oak drawer pulled out in front of him. Aoi knelt beside him, her long sweater sleeves falling over her hands as she peered down into the drawer.

"You kept all of this?" she asked with a quiet laugh.

"Of course," he said. "Every letter. Every photo. Every silly little sketch you drew in the margins."

Inside were relics of a lifetime.

The photo from their high school graduation.

Their first matching rings.

A crumpled napkin with Aoi’s lipstick mark from their first college date.

A tiny blueprint of their countryside home drawn on a university test paper.

And at the very bottom—wrapped in a silk cloth—was the wedding necklace

Ren had made for her. Still gleaming. Still holding that soft electric pulse tied to Lucia’s silent watch.

Aoi touched it gently, her fingers lingering.

"You remember how I almost lost this the day we moved in?" she said.

"Lucia tracked it down in fifteen seconds."

"Still. You scolded me for an hour."

Ren chuckled. "Because you’re irreplaceable."

A Little Storm Named Ami

Suddenly, a giggle echoed from the hallway and little Ami, Hikari’s daughter—now six—stormed into the room in her tiny overalls, holding a toy tablet.

"Grandma! Grandpa! I made a weather machine that makes bunny clouds!"

Aoi blinked. "...That’s adorable and slightly terrifying."

Ami tackled her grandfather with a hug, knocking a few papers loose.

"What’s this?" she asked, holding up a faded letter with "To My Future Wife" written on it.

Aoi read it, then looked up at Ren—her eyes shimmering. "You wrote this... back when we were just dating?"

"Didn’t think I’d get to actually give it to you," Ren said softly. "But I kept it... just in case."

Ami looked confused. "Was grandma your future wife?"

"She still is," Ren said, kissing the top of Aoi’s head. "Every day."

Nighttime Reflections

Later that evening, after Ami had gone back to the guest room with Hikari, Ren and Aoi sat on the porch swing. Rain had cleared. Stars shimmered quietly above.

Aoi leaned into his side.

"We’ve had so many lives in this one lifetime," she whispered."Young students. Lovers. Parents. Inventors. Survivors... Now what?"

"Now," Ren said, looking up at the sky, "we just get to be."

A small breeze rustled the trees. The necklace glowed faintly on Aoi’s neck, still quietly protecting.

"Do you think the girls will find this drawer someday?" she asked.

"Maybe," he smiled. "I hope they laugh more than they cry when they do."

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